I think Brad's assessment of the game is generally accurate, but I cannot match his enthusiasm for Headhunter. When he claims it is the videogame equivalent of a Van Damme or Steven Segal movie, hes right. I, however, don't consider that a compliment.

If someone were to ask what the "Holy Grail" of videogames might be, one likely answer would be "A perfect blending of Hollywood storytelling with the player interaction of Silicon Valley." Like the Grail itself, this goal is currently (and may always be) out of reach. Developers made several attempts over the years, meeting with varying degrees of success.

The transitional relationship between movies and video games can often be compared to that of oil and water. One simply doesnt mix in the other. Movie-based games often hide behind the illusion of presenting players with the chance to relive the motion picture story through the eyes of the protagonist. In most cases, however, the character is guided through a distorted version of the film that is barely recognizable in a game that seems to have been neglected in its production. Before I even started playing Spider-Man: The Movie, it already had two factors going against it—the first being that it is based upon a film. To this day I can still remember the movie-based atrocities released during the Super Nintendo/Genesis era that did little more than provide gamers with some horrendous gaming experiences. The other stereotype I blindly branded Spider-Man with was the expectation of playing nothing more than an ordinary 3-D beat em up. After all, the last Spider-Man game I played was on a 16-Bit console in which there was little else to do other than line up villains for beatings. To my surprise, Activisions take on Spideys movie proves that an exception to the rule is always possible.

Soccer never caught much popularity in the U.S. We tried to like it. During the short span of a few months in the early 1990s, soccer fever hit the States, complete with a McDonald's endorsement. But it proved to be just another passing fad. America went on, largely ignoring the sport.

In sports games, there is a clear split between two different groups. One group of games does their best to simulate a sport, whereas the other group takes the sport and changes it in an obvious manner. This latter group is widely referred to as the arcade-style sports games, and Sega Soccer Slam definitely falls into this category, and for the most part it works. By using fewer players, Sega allows for greater detail being attached to each player, as well as other numerous touches, including almost entirely polygonal crowdsa very welcome sight in a sports game.

If the devil is in the details, then Project Gotham Racing is old Scratch himself. Not only does the game feature real world cars, locations, and an eye for the most minute of details (like the water splatter coming off the tires on a rainy track), but it also features real world radio stations and DJs spinning tunes for your driving pleasure. These arent your generic themes, either; the game features tracks by real bands such as Gorillaz and a variety of hip hop acts as well. Tired of the in-game soundtrack? Then take advantage of the Xbox hard drive and rip some tracks of your own. Project Gotham Racing allows for players to import their very own music for use while driving.

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